The former FC Porto forward Mehdi Taremi took a (courageous) stance against the current regime in Iran to criticize certains chants directed at the Iranian national team. The forward commented on the situation after the Iran-Kyrgyzstan match, won by Taremi’s team in a qualifying game for the 2026 World Cup.
During the game, some fans reportedly called the players “bisharaf,” an insult in Farsi, the language primarily spoken in Iran, which means “dishonorable person.” Taremi did not hold back:
“I was told not to say anything, but bisharaf is a rude word. We cannot call each other bisharaf. It was other people who did things to the country. How is it our responsibility to be called bisharaf? Are we responsible for these things happening to the country so we can be bisharaf?” inquired the forward.
“I know the economic situation is difficult for everyone. We also have complaints about the reality that exists. The situation needs to improve. (…) This pressure exerted on ordinary people makes it natural for them to vent somewhere. But not at this level. We also have families. We are the same as you. We are not separate from you. We all love this country. We all want this country to succeed in all areas,” he further assured.
“The blame is not ours. Neither I, nor people a thousand times greater than me, can change things. Neither celebrities, nor athletes, nor actors, nor anyone else: the blame is not ours. It lies in the hands of other people,” Mehdi concluded.
Between April and May of this year, Iran’s inflation rate was set at 37%. Quite high, although on the decline. Iran has a theocratic regime, governed by a Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, since 1989.